LeSueur Family

Going Private

2010-02-14T21:46:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't updated my blog in AGES, but I have good intentions of changing this. I have had some wierd comments from people I don't know, so it is time to go private. If you want to be invited to view our blog, send me an email at

tiersa23@hotmail.com.

Summer Fun

2009-06-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

I LOVE summer!! It's full of swimming, cousins, ice cream and popsicles, vacations, beaches, MORE SWIMMING, and relaxing!

My nephew Anthony at the pool

Ashlyn (7)

What a messy girl!

Anthony (2)

Ella LOVED the splash pad at the mall

Relief Society Retreat

2009-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I had the opportunity to go on a Relief Society Retreat in Payson. It was SO much fun and just what I needed. NO kids, silly giddy women, Facials, and spiritual lifting. It was a weekend full of emotions. We laughed so hard we almost peed our pants, we cried and hugged and comforted others, and we had a lot of fun! Thanks Katie for putting this together. It was just what I needed!

Me, being goofy!!

Our chocolate masks!!

We had women sleeping every where. This was my room for the night!

My girls

2009-06-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Oh how I LOVE my girls. They are getting so big and it is so fun to see them interact with each other. It is so interesting how DIFFERENT they are. Maya has BONE STRAIT hair, and Ella hs cute CURLY hair. Maya has blue eyes and Ella has the coolest blue green eyes. Maya looks like me, and Ella looks just like Kris. (actually she looks alot like Kris's mom). I just took a couple random pictures of them because I thought they looked cute today. Enjoy!

I LOVE this picture. Doesn't she look so grown up!

Girlfriends

2009-06-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

We were able to take our friend Lindsey out for a little lunch and pedi for her birthday before she left to Florida for the summer. We are so glad she joined our little group of friends. We are going to miss her so much, but we are glad that she is coming back. Love ya Linds!!

Florida Trip

2009-05-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Kris and I went to Florida for a half ironman that he did. We were going to bring the girls and make it our family vacation, but decided it would be more fun, and more relaxing to leave the girls and just have a trip free of kids. It was so much fun!! We went to Epcot center on Friday, which was really neat. We rode a few rides and watched the firework show at night over the lake.

Epcot Center

Saturday we kind of layed low and stayed at the hotel. Our friends Lindsey and Jason moved to Florida for the summer so we were able to see them, and Lindsey and her girls came and hung out with me at the pool on Saturday. It was good to see them.

Me and Lindsey's girls. Riley, Taylor and Morgan

Lindsey and her girls

Sunday was race day for Kris. I got to the race just in time to see him coming in off of the bike course. He looked really good, and strong on the bike. The run was a 3 loop course. He looked really good on the first loop, but each loop after that he looked worse and worse. It was really hot and super HUMID, and his stomach was giving him problems which made him have to slow down alot on the last loop. Overall he did REALLY good and I am very proud of him. He really is too tough on himself, but to me he is amazing
Last stretch to the finish line. GO KRIS!!
Finished and happy

Several other teammates of his did this race. It was fun to be out there with people we knew. They all did great!!

The next day we went to Universal Studios. We had SO MUCH FUN this day. We made the mistake of going on this ride which totally soaked us. About 20 minutes after we went on this ride it started raining on us, and it never really stopped raining. We would have been fine if we hadn't gotten wet on the ride, but because we were all wet, we got REALLY cold and couldn't get warm. So what do we do.......... we buy new clothes!!

Somewhat dry, and warm

Because of the rain a lot of the rides would close until the lightning stopped. But it made for really short lines so we got to ride a lot of fun rides with minimal what time.

Hard Rock Cafe

The dumb "H" was burnt out on the hard rock cafe sign. Bummer

Washington Trip

2009-05-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

(Maya in the airport on our way to Washington)

The girls and I went to Washington to visit our good friends Trisha and Josh, who moved away from us in Sept. Maya has missed her best friend Joee SO much, and we have been anticipating this trip for a long time. We had SO much fun. It was so good to them, and it was so cute to see how Maya and Joee reacted when they saw each other. They just picked up where they left off.

Washington was so beautiful. It was the first time I had been there, and I couldn't get over how green and beautiful it was. We had pretty good weather while we were there, and only had one day that it rained all day. It was really nice to get out of the Arizona heat too.

I was a little nervous about flighing with both girls by myself. Especially since it wasn't a straight through flight. Maya did GREAT!! She feel asleep for about 2 hours, and Ella slept for about that long too. The flight was full on the way there so I had to hold Ella on my lap the whole time. THAT, was the most difficult part cause she wanted to get down. But we made it there, and the flight home was ALOT better cause it wasn't a full flight

Maya and Joee were SO excited to see each other. It was so cute. They ran up and gave each other hugs. While we were walking to get our luggage Joee just kept looking at Maya and laughing and saying "I'm so excited your here." It was so cute!

The first day we got there Josh's parents took us out on there sail boat. It was really nice, and fun to do something different.

Trisha and I went out on the kayaks before we went out on the boat

Josh and baby Rushton

JoJo and Trisha

The girls were being so cute. They kept going under the top deck and peeking out at this little window and grabing our feet. Silly girls!

Even though it was raining outside the girls wanted to ride there bikes

Best Friends!

We took them to the mall one day. We used these little back pack leash things for the girls so they wouldn't run off. I swear every time I see a mom using one of those, I swore I would never use one, BUT..... they are the greatest thing. And the girls actually LOVEd having them on. They thought they were little stuffed animals!

ice cream at McDonalds

Movie night!!

Baby Rushton

Such cute little girls!

One night Josh watched the kids so Trisha and I could go out. We went and got some clam chowder and went to a movie. Thanks Josh!

We took the girls to the zoo where they had a free mary go round. I don't know why but these things make me sick!

Ella didn't really like the mary go round at first, but she got use to it after a little while

At the zoo they had peacocks just roaming around. This one fanned his feathers out right before i took the picture. So cool!

The zoo had so many different things you would never see at a zoo in Arizona. They had a baluga whale, which was really cool. They had polar bears, walrus's, penguins, and a bunch of other wierd animals

The girls at the park

There is a reason I have a picture of an outhouse. Trisha use to wear this shirt to play volleyball in that said Honey Bucket on it. Our friend Susie started calling her honey bucket and thought it was a bucket of chicken. Little did we know that it was actually a port-a-john company in Washington. HAHA, very funny!

We took the fairy over to weattle one day. This was a really cool experience.

Seattle from the fairy

This is a HUGE market that we went to in Seattle. It had SO many cool vendors. This is just ONE of the flower vendors. The flowers were SO pretty and so cheap too

We took the girls to this interactive kids museum in Seattle. They LOVED it. They had a curious George room, a miniture grocery store with shopping carts, a craft room, a story book room, and a theater room. It was really neat.

Flying home after a fun week with our friends

Xterra Vegas

2009-05-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Kris's new passion is Xterra racing. We went to Vegas with our friends Nick and Rachel, it was a really fun weekend. Kris did well, and is excited to do a few more Xterra races this year, and hopefully make it to Regionals in Sept.

Maya playing in the dirt getting ready for daddy to run by

Kris on the first loop of his run

Maya and her friend Sam

Daddy and Maya showing of his metal at the finish line

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

This year for Easter it decided to rain in AZ. It was actually kind of nice to have a change of scenery. My friend Julie and I took our girls to this strip of stores that was doing an Easter egg Hunt. It was nice cause we were able to stay out of the rain, and the girls were still able to get there Candy. You can't beat free candy and pictures with the easter bunny. It was fun!

Ella didn't so much like the Easter Bunny.

Maya and Mallory

Friends for Life

Ella's happy with her basket of candy

Maya had so much fun coloring easter eggs this year. I am really enjoying being able to do things like this with her now that Maya is getting older.

The girls Easter Baskets

Easter morning. This is my sorry attempt to get the girls pictures in there Easter dresses.

Me and my girls

Easter egg hunt at Nana's

Grand Canyon Hike

2009-04-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

I know this should not be the opening picture to a post titled Grand Canyon Hike. But unfortunately this is what we faced. Last weekend my family and some friends meet at the Grand Canyon to do an 18 mile hike we have done many times. Some came from Utah, and some from Arizona, all in all we had 11 people with 4 of them being newbies. My sister Collette and I drove up together, and about 45 minutes before we reach the Grand Canyon it starts snowing on us, SNOWING!!!
I was not very happy, because I came VERY underprepared for cold weather. We met up with my brother who had brought his RV and the rest of the group for some dinner, before the "smart" girls drove off to our nice warm hotel room.
So COLD!

(Katie, Kalyn, Tiersa)

Me and my mommy

The Stuart Fam
(Tiersa, Collins, Mom, Adam, Collette)

Adam and his friends Katie, and Kalyn

Mom and Collette

Mom and Adam

Collins, Tiersa, and cousin Tyler

The next morning we met at the bus station at 6:45
(not 6:47 or 6:49 Adam)

It was 15 degrees outside and windy. It might not look like it, but I am FREEZING!!!
I was the only one without a beanie or hat of any kind, and all I brought was capri's to hike in
I finally warmed up about 2 hours into our hike after I started running to get warm

The bus ride to the start of the trail

Kalyn and Adam

At the top of the trail right before we start our hike
Even though it was cold, I had to enjoy the beauty, especially with the snow hittin the top of the canyon. Breathtaking!!

Every time we do this hike we have to stop and make fun of this sign. It is a sign that advises hikers against attempting this hike in one day. Oops!!
About a mile and a half into our hike we look up and see my oldest brother Collins heading UP the path. My crazy brother thought it would be fun to RUN the 18 mile trail TWICE!! Yes, thats right I said twice. He starated at 5 am on the other side of the canyon, and passed us at about 8:30 am coming up the path we were going down. Then he hydrated at the top, ate a little food and headed back down. He passed again at the bottom and some of us got the chance to run with him for a little while. He is training for a 50 mile ultra marathon in Payson this month. He ran the Grand Canyon (36 miles) twice in 8 hours which is the same amount of time it took us to do it once. He is CRAZY!

I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I promise I am not as close as it looks. There is only a small drop off on the other side.

This is at the bottom of the Canyon. Collins was about 3/4 of the way done with his run. You wouldn't believe the STANK on this guy. You can' tell but I am HOLDING my breath!
HAHA, love ya bro!

Poor Kalyn and her stomach problems

The girls at Phantom Ranch

This is a picture of a helicopter carrying a DEAD MULE out of the canyon. They closed off the bridge we normally go over because a mule had died on the bridge. Sad, but cool to watch.

At the Top, FINALLY!!
This was an AMAZING experience for me. I haven't hiked the Grand Canyon since before I had kids (about 4 years), so I was really excited to see how I would do. I have been keeping up my running since the marathon last Oct, and have been trail running 10-15 miles every Saturday, so I was really excited to see how I would do on this hike and how I would feel afterwards.
Although my calves we really sore for a few days afterwards, I was able to make it up in 3 hours and I didn't have to stop once on the switchbakes which is about the last 5 miles of the hike.
I am really excited to do this again!

After the hike. We are tired, but clean. There is an a little place you can pay 2 bucks and have an 8 minute HOT shower. I think at that point I would have payed 10 bucks. It was worth every penny!!

ps. Thanks to my older brothers Collins and Adam, for pushing me until I FINALLY commited to going on the hike. It was SO FUN!!

Maya's first Dentist Appointment

2009-04-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Maya had her first dentist apt. last week. I wasn't sure how she would do, but the dentist and his assistants were AMAZING!! They made it so fun and exciting for her. She did SO well and even let them clean her teeth. I am VERY proud of her. Good job Maya!

She got a new toothbrush and as soon as we got home, she wanted to brush her teeth.

YEAH, I won't have to fight with her anymore on her teeth brushing!

Ella loved playing with the toys while she was waiting.

SISTERS

2009-04-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

I can't even explain how much I LOVE to watch my girls with each other

It give me so much joy as a mother to see my girls

laugh together, share with each other, and enjoy each other so much.

Maya loves to make Ella laugh. And Ella will laugh at anything Maya does.

It is so fun to have girls!!

I love to hear Maya saying "I love my sister, she's my best friend," while giving her a hug.

I hope they ALWAYS get along good, and always stay "best friends"

Maya sharing her ice cream with her sister.

Now thats a happy baby!

Hiking Usery Mountain

2009-04-01T19:46:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went with some friends to Usery Mountain and attempted a 3.2 mile hike up to the wind caves with Maya and Ella. Maya was having so much fun walking by my side and looking at all the pretty flowers. About a half a mile into the hike she fell and scraped her knee and it all went down hill from there. She was not very happy, and in the end I ended up carrying her for about 2.5 miles of the hike. (YEAH, extra workout for me!!)

It was really pretty and fun to hike with friends. Maya and her friend Ty really enjoyed looking for lizards. Maya even spotted a Chucwalla, or a "Chuck-a-walla" as Ty would say. Ella caught some zzzz's in the pack, and we all caught some rays from the sun. It was some good times!
Susie, Ty, Maya, Tiersa, Kris (& Ella), Brian and Jake

Friends or future dating partners

Sweet little Ella

Daddy's turn to hold the girls

The Chucwalla

The Zoo

2009-04-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

With the wonderfully nice weather we have had in AZ, we have been going to the zoo alot lately. Maya LOVES to go the the zoo with her cousins and her friends. She loves the monkey's and the Giraffes. During spring break we went to the zoon once with my friend Lacey and her little girl Alina who is 5 months younger than Maya, and we also went with my sister and her kids. We love the zoo!!

Alina and Maya

little Ella

Aunt Tiersa and my nieces and nephew

Maya and her cousins

Lose Weight in 10 Days

2009-03-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

I recently did a 10 day diet to lose some unwanted LB's.

I have had alot of people ask me what I did to lose the weight, so I decided I would post it on my blog for ALL to see. I really liked this "diet" because

it is only 10 days long, and the food is actually really good. It wasn't that hard to follow because it is short, and it only takes you through ONE weekend. Weekends are the hardest for me to eat good, so I was happy about that. Anyway, I lost 6 lbs and 6 inches in 10 days and I have managed to lose 5 more pounds since then just by eating healthy and exercising. This was the kick I needed to lose those last few pounds of baby weight. Now that Ella is one, I have no excuse to be hefty. LOL!! Hope you all enjoy. I would love to hear any results if you have the opportunity to try it.

10-Day Eating Guide

Day 1

Breakfast:

Waffle with Cottage Cheese, Blueberries, and Turkey Bacon

1 multigrain waffle

1 c. low fat cottage cheese

1 c. fresh blueberries

1 slice low-fat turkey bacon

Snack:

Rasberry Protein Smoothie

3/4 c. fresh raspberries

1 scoop whey protein powder

1 cup skim milk

blend ingredients

lunch:

Tuna Salad

3 oz. water-packed tuna, drained

1 Tbs caperes

1 C. shredded romaine lettuce

1 c. raw spinahc, chopped

1 cooked egg white, chopped

1/3 cup onion, chopped

2 tsp mustard

1 tbs olive oil

combine ingredients and serve

Snack:

celery and peanut butter

3 stalks celery

1 tbs peanut butter

Dinner:

Chicken and Snow Pea Stir-Fry on Brown Rice

4 oz. skinless chicken breast, sliced

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

1 c. snow peas

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 TBS soy sauce

Stir fry chicken, then add vegetables. Cook until tender.Add soy sauce. Serve over brown rice

Day 2

Breakfast:

Broccoli Omelet

3 egg whites, and 1 whole egg, beaten together

1 c. broccoli

Snack:

Rasberry Protein smoothie

1/3 c. fresh raspberries

1 scoop whey protein powder

1 c. skim milk

1 Tbs. flaxseed (optional)

ice as needed. Blend together

Lunch:

Turkey Sandwich

1 slice whole wheat bread

3 slices turkey

4 leaves romain lettuce

1 tsp mustard

2 sliced tomato

1 c. alfalfa sprouts

Snack:

Cottage Cheese and Paprika

1 c. lowfat cottage cheese

1 tsp. paprika

Dinner:

Salmon, Asparagus, and Salad

5 oz. broiled or baked slamon fillet

2 c. shredded romain lettuce

1 c. chopped steamed asparagus

1 c. sliced cucumbers

1-1/2 tbs. italian dressing

Day 3

Breakfast:

Tomato Omelet

4 egg whites and 1 whole egg, beaten together

1/2 tomato, chopped

Snack:

Raw Almonds and Dried Cranberries

10 raw almonds (make sure they are not dry roasted)

2 tbs. dried cranberries

Lunch:

Roast Beef Reuben and Salad

4 oz. lean roast beef

1/4 c. sauerkraut

1 tbsp mustard

1 slice rye bread

1 c. shredded romaine lettuce

1 tbs. light italian dressing

1 dill pickle

Spread mustard on bread. Layer roast beef and sauerkraut onto bread. Serve with salad and pickle.

Snack:

Strawberry Yogurt protein smoothie

1/2 cup fresh strawberries

1 scoop whey protein powder

6 oz. plain lowfat yogurt1 tbs.

flaxseeds (optional)

Mix ingredients in blender

Dinner:

Chicken Burrito with Rice and Beans

4 oz. broiled skinless chicken breast

2 Tbs. salsa

1 lowfat whole wheat tortilla

1/4 c. canned pinto or black beans

1/4 c, cooked brown rice

Arrange chicken and salsa on tortilla, then heat in oven or microwave.Toss rice and beans together.

Day 4

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs with Turkey

5 egg whites and 1 whole egg, scrambled

3 thin slicees of deli turkey breast meat

Snack:

Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 scoop whey protein posder

6 oz plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 Tbs. flaxseeds (optional)

Ice as needed

Mix ingredients in blender

Lunch:

Chicken Pita

3 oz. broiled skinless chicken breast, sliced

2 slices tomato

1 cup alfalfa sprouts

1 cup shredded lettuce

1-1/2 Tbs fat-free ranch dressing

1 low fat whole wheat pita

Snack:

Peanut Butter Toast

1 Tbs. peanut butter

1 piece whole wheat or multi-grain bread, toasted

Dinner:

Steak, Brussels Sprouts, and Salad

3 oz lean beefsteak or flank steak, broiled

1 cup Brussels sprouts, steamed

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 Tbs. light Italian dressing

Day 5

Breakfast:

Cottage Cheese with raspberries

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Snack

Pear and Lowfat Cheese

1 pear

4 1-oz slices lowfat cheddar or Colby cheese

Lunch:

Turkey and Avocado Sanwich or Wrap

3 1'oz slices turkey

1 slice while wheat bread or whole wheat tortilla

4 leaves romaine lettuce

1 tsp mustard

2 slices tomato

1 oz raw avocado

Snack:

Raspberry Protein Smoothie

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 scoop whey protein powder

1 cup skim or nonfat milk

1 Tbs flaxseed (optional)

ice as needed

Dinner

Halibut, Broccoli, and Salad

3 oz baked or broiled halibut

1 cup steamed broccoli

2 cups shredded lettuce

1/2 oz vinegar

1 Tbs olive oil

Day 6

Breakfast:

Feta, Black Olives, and Tomato Omelet

5 egg whites and 1 whole egg, beaten together

1/2 cup black olives, chopped

1/2 oz. feta cheese

1/4 meduim tomato, chopped

Snack:

Fruit and Cheese:

1/2 apple or 1 cup read grapes

2 slices lowfat cheddar cheese

Lunch:

Turkey and Hummus Pita

3 slices lean turkey

1 small low-fat whole wheat pita

1 Tbs. hummus

4 lettuce leaves

2 slices tomato

1 tsp mustard

Snack:

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Smoothie

1 Tbs. peanut Butter

1/2 banana

1 scoop whey protein powder

1 cup skim milk

Mix together in blender

Dinner:

Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad

4 oz. raw, fresh tuna steak

1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped

1/2 oz sesame seeds

2 tbs. lime soy cinaigrette*

1 oz soybeans

1/4 cup papaya

2 cups arugula

Grill tuna for two to four minutes on each side, then slice thinly, . Arrange arugula on plate. Sprinkle soybeans and water chestnuts on top. Add papaya and tuna last. Garnich with sesame seeds and drizzle with lime soy vinaigrette

*Combine 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, 4 tsp dark sesame oil, 2 tsp lemon zest, 2 tsp fresh ginger, 4 cloves minced garlic

Day 7

Breakfast:

Breakfast Burrito

3 egg whies and 1 whole egg, scrambled together

1 small low fat whole wheat or low carb tortilla, warmed

1/4 cup canned pinto or black beans

2 Tbs salsa

Snack:

Strawberry Protein Smoothie

1 cup fresh strawberries

1 scoop whey protein powder

1 cup skim or nonfat milk

1 Tbs flaxseed (optional)

Mix ingredients in blender

Lunch:

Chicken salad

4 oz. broiled, skinless chicken breast, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup cucumber

1/2 cup arugula

1 cup romain lettuce, chopped

1 Tbs italian dressing

Snack:

Cottage Cheese and Tomatoes

1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese

1 sliced tomato

Dinner:

Pork chop and apple

4 oz, lean boneless, broiled pork chop

1/2 apple

Day 8

Breakfast:

Cheese and Tomato Omelet

6 egg whies, beaten together

1/2 oz fat free Parmesan cheese

1 medium tomato, chopped

Snack:

20 Almonds

Lunch:

Salmon and Salad

4 oz salmon

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup arugula

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

1 Tbs italian dressing

Snack:

Strawberry Protein Smoothie

1/4 cup fresh strawberries

1 scoop whey protein powder

1 cup skim milk

1 Tbs flaxseed (optional)

Mix ingredients in blender

Dinner:

Chicken with Peas and Carrots

4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast baked or broiled

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

Day 9

Breakfast:

Cootage Cheese and Raspberries

1 cup lowfat cottage cheese

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Snack:

Mango Yogurt Protein Smoothie

1/2 cup mango

1 scoop whey protein powder

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt

1/2 cup water or ice as needed

1 Tbs flaxseed (optional)

Lunch:

Chicken Curry

2 oz. broiled skinless chicken breast, chopped

1/4 cup cooked long grain brown rice

1/2 cup raw cauliflower, chopped

1/4 cup chickpeas

1/4 clove garlic

1 oz tomato paste

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 Tbs curry powder

Simmer broth, then add curry powder, tomato paste, and vegetables. Cover with lid, and cook until tnder. Add chicken and heat through. Serve over brown rice.

Snack:

Celery and Peanut Butter

2 stalks celery

1 Tbs peanut butter

Dinner:

Hawaiian chicken kebabs

3 oz. chicken breast, baked or broiled

1/2 cup onion

3 strips yellow pepper

1/4 cup pineapple, cubed

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

/2 oz vinegar

1 Tbs olive oil

Thread chicken, pineapple, and vegetables onto skewers, drizzle with vinegar and oil, and cook on grill

Day 10

Breakfast:

Broccoli and Feta Omelet

5 egg whites and 1 whole egg, beaten together

1 cup raw broccoli, chopped

1/2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Snack:

Celery and Peanut Butter

3 stalks celery

1 Tbs peanut butter

Lunch:

Turkey Burger

3 oz, cooked ground turkey

2 slices tomato

1 slice onion

1 tsp mustard

1 Tbs ketchup

3 leaves romaine lettuce

1 cup alfalfa sprouts

Snack:

Yogurt with Kwi and Flaxseed

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 kiwi, peeled and sliced

1 Tbs flaxseed (optional)

Dinner:

Chicken Pita

2 oz broiled chicken breast, sliced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup shredded lowfat swiss cheese

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 small lowfat whole wheat pita

Heat tomato sauce, add onion, cover pan, and cook until tender. Place chicken in pita, pour sauce over, and top with cheese

Ella is Walking(ish)

2009-03-03T17:07:00.001-08:00

Ella's First Birthday Party

2009-02-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

My baby is 1. (waa waa). Okay now that my pitty party is over, let me tell you how it went.

We had all our friends over Saturday night for a pre-birthday party. We had Cafe Rio pork salads (yum), and Costco cake (yummier).

I got crafty and made Ella the cutest tutu ever! It was super easy!

Ella loved her cheese crisp, but..........

she loved her cake more!

Thanks to all our friends who came to celebrate with us.

Julie and Mallory

Jerrae and Statton

Terra and Haley

Ella opening her presents

Ty and Jake gave her this ball toy, that she totally loves.

We got her this little tykes cozy coupe car. She LOVES it. But so does everyone else, which can cause some problems when you have a house full of kids.

Sunday night we had my sister and Kris's family over. Collette's little boy Anthony shares a birthday with Ella. Infact Collette was in the middle of Anthony's first birthday party when I called her and said, YOU BETTER GET DOWN HERE, I'M HAVING THE BABY!

Ella, her Nana, and her cousin Crew.

Anthony and Ella. Happy Birthday!!

I just need to take a moment to say how much I love my sweet little Ella. She is so different than Maya, and I love everything about her.

I love her grunting noises that she makes
I love her deep fake laugh she does
I love her silly scrunched up nose, and poutted lips look
I love how easily she laughs at her sister
I love how strong and active she is, that girl never sits still
I love how she sucks her thumb and cuddles on my shoulder right before she goes to bed
I love how excited she is to see me in the morning
I love what a good little sleeper she is
I love what a great little baby she is.

Ella, thanks for choosing our family. We wouldn't be the same without you. LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! Happy Birthday!

Random pictures of the Girls

2009-02-19T14:41:00.000-08:00

My nephew Anthony

Crazy hair Maya

Birthday Dinner

2009-02-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

Whenever one of our friends has a birthday we go to The Keg for dinner to celebrate. Kris and Susie share the same birthday so we all got together, no kids invited, and had a fun, relaxing night.

Cory, Brian, Susie, Kris, Tiersa, Julie

Me and my hubby

Susie and Brian

Julie and Cory

Kris's Birthday/Valentines Day

2009-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

Kris's birthday is on Valentines Day so he kind of gets jipped every year. He always spoils me on Valentines Day so I thought it was my turn to spoil him. Saturday was his actually birthday but he has Friday's off. So Friday morning we went to breakfast with the girls, then Kris's mom came over during nap time and we were off. It was a day full of suprises. He had no idea what was going on, which made it exciting for me cause he is ussually the one doing the suprising. We had a couples massage at Massage envy. Then we went to dinner at Pita Jungle which is one of his favorite places to eat. Then I got us a room at the Arizona Grand Resort (The Point at South Mountain). I made a German Chocolate cake (his favorite) for him and had arranged for my sister Collette to bring that, and a bottle of sparkling cider to the room so it was waiting for us when we got there. He was very suprised!!

We brought our long boards to the hotel and spent some time finding hills to go down. We spent the night relaxing, sitting in the hot tub, and having fun. It was great!! Saturday morning we woke up and went to South Mountain. We have recently really enjoyed trail running, so we found a good trail and did a 12 mile trail run. It was really fun. The weather was perfect and the scenery was beautiful! I had arranged with Kris's dad for him to go into work late, so we had time to go to Wildflower Bread Co. for breakfast. It was an amazing day. Just what we needed.

Kris is 32, and hotter than ever. I love spending time with him. He makes me laugh with his goofy side, and loves me more than anthing. Thanks for being such an amazing person!

I love you!

Fun at the Park

2009-02-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

Kris gets Friday's off so we usually like to do something fun with the kids. Well the weather has been exceptionally nice here lately. So we took the kids to Freestone park. I hadn't done my work out yet, so Kris made mu run hills. OUCH!! They were not fun, but it was nice having Maya with me. She would walk up the hill, and then run down with me. She LOVES to run. She always bring me her tennis shoes and wants me to put them on her so she can run around the house. Then she says "I'm running fast like Mommy and Daddy." Little does she know that mommy doesn't really run fast, just daddy.

We brought some bread to feed the ducks. Maya thought this was the greatest thing. She loved it, and so did the ducks.

Ella just chilled in the stroller

We got to take the girls on the train that goes around Freestone park. Maya thought that was pretty cool. I love how much Maya loves her sister. She is always looking out for her.

Dinner with the Murtaghs

2009-02-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Michelle and Nigel took our family out to dinner the night before they headed back to California with Delaney. Thanks guys, we love you and we had so much fun!

Look at my hot husband!!

Ashley and Adam. This was a special night cause they told us that they are expecting there second baby in Sept. YEAH!!, we are so excited for you!

My brother Adam and my dad. Man, my brothers hot!! We need to get him married. Feel free to send any possible suggestions my way.

The fam: Ashley, Adam, Collette, Tiersa, Dad & Mom

Striking a pose. We tend to get a little silly when we hang out.

Just us kids.

The miracle that brought us all together.

Mom and Dad. Love you guys!

Ashley, Tiersa, Michelle, Collette and Mom

The girls. I am so lucky to have such AWESOME sisters!

Tony, Collette, Michelle, Nigel and baby Delaney

January Events

2009-02-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

January was a busy month. Must be the reason why I haven't blogged about it yet. Sorry, I have been such a slacker. I thought I would start off with a picture of my beautiful girls. They are so much fun. I LOVE that I get to spend all day with them everyday. They bring so much joy to my life. Maya LOVES her sister, she tells me several times a day, " mommy, I love my sisser". It is the cutest think every. She can make Ella laugh harder than anyone else. Ella loves to follow Maya around the house. I hope they always stay close!

St. George Half Marathon
We went to St. George on Jan 15th for a half marathon. I love running in St. George. It is so pretty. This race was nice cause alot of it was on the Bloomington Trail which runs along side the river. It beats running on the canal banks day after day. My mom, brother Collins, Kris's mom and sister Kelsey, and Kris and I all ran it.

Collins and Maya. She LOVES her uncle Collins

At dinner the night before the race. Me, Kris and Kelsey

Delaney Shae Murtagh

For those of you who don't know how wonderful my older sister is, let me tell you. Collette has been married for 8 years, she has 4 children of her own, and until recently she was pregnant for her 5th time. Although this pregnancy was different. Collette and her husband Tony new they were done having children after four tries, they finally got there boy. But about a year ago Collette met someone who would change all of our lives for ever.

Michelle and her husband Nigel have been trying to have a baby for 12 years, with no luck. She has tried everything out there, and was still unable to have a baby of her own. It was devistating to her. Well about a year ago a mutual friend introduced them to each other and jokingly told Michelle that Collette would make the perfect surogate since she has such easy pregnancies. Collette laughed it off and although she tried to forget about the comment, it wouldn't leave her mind. To make a long story short, my sister was able to be a surogate for Michelle and Nigel. They are an amazing couple that deserves a beautiful baby of there own, and through my sisters selfless service, she was able to make there dream come true. Well on Wed. Jan 29, miss Delaney decided to grace us with her presence.

It was a very emotional experience for all involved. Michelle and Nigel couldn't be happier. They are a beautiful family. Their baby girl couldn't not be healthier, and now they are back in California with there friends and family. Michelle and Nigel have become like family to us. We love them so much and are so grateful they have come into our lives. We love you guys and miss you!!

Delaney Shae Murtagh

Jan. 29, 2009

7:53 pm

8 lbs 6 oz

21 in

Collette and my Dad

Michelle and Collette. Friends for life!

Michelle Nigel, Delaney and Tiersa

My mom, and 2 of Collette's girls, Kelsey and Jaycee

Nigel was wrapped around his little girls finger the second she was born.

He is going to be a great dad.

Murtagh family

A Day at the Zoo

My little sister and her husband were in town so we took them to the Zoo since there isn't a Zoo in St. George. There little boy Kevin loved it.

Ashley and Tiersa

Maya and her Daddy

My little Ella. I can't get enough of her!!

An "OFFICE" moment

So about a month ago there was an episode of "The Office" where there was a speed tracker on the road outside the office. Well Michael decided he needed to run past it as fast as he could to see what his top speed was. The whole office got involved, it was halarious. Well at the zoo, there happened do be one of these speed tracker thingamajigs. Of course we got the bright idea to re-enact "The Office" episode. It may look funny, but it was HALARIOUS! I think the top speed was 13 mph, and Kris and I tied for first. LOL Good times!

Ashley

Little Maya's speed was 4!! HAHA, how cute!

Ashley's husband Adam giving it a go.

All out sprint for me. Notice no shoes, the flip flops were slowing me down.

Ella and her cousin Kevin

Maya was being a rhino

Happy New Year

2009-01-07T14:45:00.001-08:00

For New Years we thought we would make it a tradition, and head up to our friends Cory and Julie's cabin for the weekend. We all had so much fun. There was alot of late crazy night filled with food, games and laughter.

We had a day in the snow, letting the kids build snowmans and go sledding. I bought Maya some new snowboots, which she couldn't get enough of.

She loved the sledding, and it was such a perfect day for it too.

Thanks to my friend Susie, I was able to go snowboarding with the guys this year (last year I was pregnant), and it was SO MUCH FUN!! I hadn't been since before I had Maya, so it took a little bit to remember what the heck I was doing, but once I got the hang of it, it was a BLAST!!

Maya is ready for the snow!!

Maya and I

Here we go!

I LOVE this picture. Maya and Ty are obviously having SO much fun!!

Maya got to the point where she would walk the sled back up the hill by herself. It was awesome caues it ment I didn't have to do it.

Every night we stayed up late playing our favorite game canasta.

Maya and Ty say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We are missing little Ella in this picture, but don't we make a cute family! LOL!

The girls, susie, juile, and Tiersa. We are missing our closest friend Trisha who moved back to Washington about 6 months ago. We love you Trisha. Also our good friend Adria was visiting her family in Texas so she wasn't there either.

The group.

We got a little silly after midnight and a glass of bubbling sparkling cider. We tried to form 2009 with our bodies but it didn't really turn out. Oops. But it sure was fun trying

December Events

2008-12-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in St. George

It has been a while since I blogged so I am going to start with Thanksgiving. We were in St. George for Thanksgiving visiting my family.We had a really fun time eating, playing basketball, shopping, and hanging outMy grandpa lives next door to my parents and My uncle Mark came up from Vegas for Thanksgiving and brought his Harley. So my grandpa who is in his 80's got to go on a motorcycle ride with his son Mark.

He was SO SO excited. When Grandpa gets excited he can't contain his emotions.

You can just hear the excitement in his voice. He is such an amazing guy! We love him!

Grandpa and his wife, Carolyn, helping him with his helmet.

Uncle Mark and Grandpa

Twilight with my sisters

While we were in St. George we got a chance to see Twilight.

It was so fun being there with my 3 sisters and my sister in law (taking the picture) who had all read the book. We had a few critisisms with the movie, but overall we LOVED it.

I can't wait to see the next one.

Me, Collette, & Ashley

A fun day with Maya

A couple of weeks ago Kris and I took a day to spend with Maya.
We were going to take her to see Polar Express 3D, but when we got there, there was a note on the window that said it was cancelled due to "Technical Difficulties" BUMMER!!

So we made the best of a beautiful Arizona winter day, and we decided to spend it outside.

We went to Sports Authority and bought Maya a life jacket, drove to the car lot and picked up a canoe they had there, and grabbed some lunch.

We had a picnic in a canoe on Tempe town lake and it was SO FUN!!

Maya LOVED her new life jacket and she thought it was pretty cool to be out on the water.

We tried to feed the ducks but they just kept swimming away.

It was a fun day!!

Maya in her new Lifejacket

Daddy & Maya

Mommy & Maya

Daddy, our chauffeur

Family Christmas Party

The week before Christmas we had our Annual Christmas party with Kris's mom's side of the family. We drove to Prescott and had lunch at Kris's uncles cabin. It was so pretty up there.
A little cold, but beautiful. We thought we would snap a few family pics while up in the mountains.

Our little fam!

Kris and his twin, little Ella

Mommy & Ella

Cookie Making with Aunt Tiersa

I thought it would be fun to have my nieces over for some Christmas cookie making.
So my sister dropped her 4 kids off, so her and her hubby could get some last minute Christmas shopping done, and we started our night. I found this cute cookie recipe online and I thought it would be fun for the girls to do.

This is what the cookies were suppose to look like. Of course none of them actually looked like that, but it was fun anyway

Maya and her cousins, Kelsey, Jaycee, and Ashlyn

Maya and Ashlyn

Visit with Santa

We took Maya to see Santa last week. The line didn't look very long, but we ended up waiting to see Santa for over an hour. She was so excited to tell him what she wanted for Christmas by the time we got up there.

Ella on the other hand was NOT SO EXCITED!!

.
Maya with Santa (Isn't he a good santa)

HAHA!! This picture is Priceless. Ella was not so happy!

Pictures of Maya

I was trying to get some good pictures of Maya to use for my parents Grandparents wall.

These are the best of the ones I took.

Maya is learning how to smile on que. It is so funny. Half the time her smiles are very forced and they turn out like this.

This ones better.

This is Maya nd her cousin Kate who is 6 months younger than her.

As they get older they are becoming better, and better friends

They loved spending Christmas day together, and they even learned how to share there toys by the end of the day. (kind of, lol)

Temple Lights

Last Sunday night we went to see the Christmas lights at the Temple.

I had to get a picture of my little Maya and I.

Christmas Morning

Our Christmas was GREAT!! Maya is such a fun age. She LOVES to see the Christmas lights and always points them out to me when we are driving down the street.
Our Christmas morning was probably a little different than yours.
We were blessed with two little girls that LOVE their sleep. So our morning didn't start till about 9 am, and we even had to wake Maya up. She did have a very late night at Nana and Papa's house though. Maya loved opening her presents. I don't think she even cared so much about the presents. She just loved ripping the paper off.

Mommy and the girls on Christmas morning

Our little family

My happy baby girl

We spent about an hour at our house opening presents. My parents were in town so they got to be with us in the morning. Then at 10:30 we went to Kris's parents house and my parents went to my sisters house for more gift giving.

Ella and Papa Warren

My parents gave Maya and Ella wiggle cars. They are these little cars you can ride and wiggle back and forth to make them go. They are so much fun, and even mommy and daddy can ride them.

I thought this was a funny picture of Ella. It shows off her teeth good

Maya got a box of dress ups from her Nana and Papa. She was very excited and wanted to wear them right away.

This was Maya's favorite gift. Santa brought her a motorized tinkerbell four wheeler. She loves taking Ella for rides.

Snow in St. George

2008-12-20T08:21:00.001-08:00

My parents live in St. George Utah where it only snows once every couple years

Well the other day they got 6 inches of snow, and because no one knows how to drive in the snow, and they don't have snow plows there, they cancelled school.

This snowman is the result of my nephews, and my twin brothers bordem.

You can't really tell in the picture, but this snowman is 12 feet tall.

The legs alone are as tall as my brother who is 6'2.

The snowman got its picture taken for the local newspaper of course, which my nephews were pretty excited about.

The last time it snowed like this was when I was 16 which was 12 years ago!!

I am so glad I don't live in the snow, but it sure looks like fun!!

My parents backyard

Volleyball CHAMPS!!

2008-11-24T14:58:00.001-08:00

I play on a co-ed volleyball team (The Pancakes) on Monday night.

We had our playoffs last Monday night and, to our suprise,

we came out #1.

We were the 4th seed so our first game we played the #1 team, and we beat them
So that put us in the championship game. We had to wait an hour before our next game

but despite the wait, we were playing pretty good.

We won our first game, and the second game was tied at 26. In volleyball you usually play to 25, but you have to win by 2. Well in this league they cap the game at 27, so whomever gets to 27 first, wins. Well it was there serve and it is rally scoring. It was all kind of a blur, but somehow we set it up, and our middle man (who is 6'7) spiked it down with no possible way to return it.

We were SO excited! It was such a fun season. We had a few injuries, but overall it was a blast!!

Top row: Cory, Troy, Julius, Sunshine, and Harmony
Bottom row: Tiersa, Susie, and Collin

Baby Mamma Trip

2008-11-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

(at the airport ready to start our weekend)

Last weekend my sister Collette and I got to go to San Jose by ourselves with NO KIDS, for 4 days! It was a once and a lifetime (well, maybe not lifetime, but it felt like it) opportunity.

For those of you who don't know, my sister Collette is being a surrogate for her friend Michelle who lives in California. She is about 6 1/2 months pregnant and she is having a girl. Michell and Nigel are the most amazing couple. They have been married for 16 years and have been trying for so long to have a baby with no luck. They had just about given up when Collette and Michelle's mutual friend Claudia introduced them to eachother. Well one thing led to another and Collette is able to help Michelle and Nigel start there family.

So the reason for our trip to California was to attend Michelle's two baby showers that her friends and family were throwing for her. It was so great to meet her family and friends. They have all been there through the tough times and they are all so excited for Michelle. She has such a wonderful support group. It was so fun getting to know both Michelle and Nigel better.

They are my kind of people, and we really love them.

We are so excited for them, and can't wait for little baby Murtagh to join their family in Feb.

Thanks for the wonderful weekend.

Love you guys!!

Michelle, Claudia, Collette, Tiersa, and Jen (Michelle's sister)

We got to go to San Fransisco on Friday and do the touristy thing.
It was AMAZING weather!!

Claudia, Michelle, Tiersa & Collette

Me and my sister

Collette and the first baby shower. Doesn't she look cute!!

This is Michelle and her good friend Lisa who threw her first baby shower for her at her gorgeous home. It was such a beautiful shower!!

Michelle and her sister Jen

Look at this beatiful cake. It was as yummy as it looks!!

The girls, at the first baby shower

Baby shower #2

Michelles good friends threw this shower for her. It was so fun!

Auntie Jen, Baby Murtagh, & Mommy Michelle

This shower had all of Nige's family at it.

In this picture is Nigel's dad, Nigel, Collette, Nigel's mom, and Michelle

Kelsey's Birthday

2008-11-12T15:27:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Kris's sister Kelsey's Birthday

She is finally out of her teens

Happy 20th Kelsey!!

We had a fun day of shopping and then we all went out to Oregano's for dinner.

Mmmm, I love that place. Thanks for having a birthday!!

October Events

2008-11-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

We had alot going on in October so I haven't written in a while. So I thought I would do one MASSIVE post and update everyone all at once. We sure had a fun month! Can't wait to see what November brings.

St. George

We went to St. George for the Marathon at the begining of the month. Kris went home the day after the Marathon, but I got to stay for a week. Here are a few pics of the week.

We tried to enjoy the weather as much as we could. Taking the kids to the park was a favorite!

Maya LOVES to "DWIVE" this little car at my mom's house. We would pull the cars out of the garage and let the kids drive the cars and the wiggle carts in the empty garage with the door shut. It was AWESOME!!

Baby Ella saying goodbye to her daddy before he drove back home to Phoenix with his parents

At the park with my girls!

We had a girls night with my mom, sisters and some friends. We went to dinner at Olive Garden, and then we went to see Big River at Tuachann. It was really fun!! From left to right:
Ashley (sister), Mom, Collette (sister), me, Jaylin (sister-in-law), and Jaylins two friends.

Ashley, Collette, Jaylin, Me and Mom
We are all laughing in the picture because Jaylin wore really tall shoes to try and be as tall as all the girls, but we decided to stand on our tippy toes so we could see her true height.
All 5'4' of her.

Meghan and Jimmy LeSueur

Oct. 10, 2008

Kris's little brother Jimmy got married. We love them both and are so excited for them.
Congratulations guys. The wedding was beautiful!
At the rehersal dinner the night before.

The Groom and the Groomsmen
From left to right: James (Jimmy), Kris, Steven, and JT

Uncle Adam and my girls! So cute. He is such a good uncle. The girls really love him!

The Happy Couple. James and Meghan LeSueur

Me and my sleepy baby. She was such a fussy girl that night. We finally got her to go to sleep after about an hour of fighting it.

Julies Baby Shower

We had a baby shower for one of my best friends, Julie. She had her second girl on Oct. 30th. Here is a pic of all the girls. It was hard not having our friend Trisha there for the shower. We really miss not having her here.

Left to right: Amy, Susie, Julie, Tiersa, Adria

Schnepfs Farm

We thought we would get into the Halloween Spirit by visiting the pumkin patch at Schnepfs Farm. If you haven't been out there you need to try it out. There are so many things for the kids to do. There is a train that takes you around the whole farm, a carosal, pony rides, food, live bands, petting zoo, pumkin patch, you name it they have it. Maya had SO MUCH FUN!! She loved the train and the face painting. She couldn't get enough of the bands either. She was the star of the show, just dancing around to the music. It was so much fun!

Maya getting her face painted. She is not quite sure at this point, but in the end she is happy with the result.

Her cute pumkin

Kris's little sister Kelsey went with us.
Aren't they silly!

Maya and her Daddy or her "Dally" as she says it

Little Ella was such a trooper. She was SO tired the whole time, but we never heard a peep out of her. How did I get so lucky with to AMAZING babies!

Kris and Maya went on the bumble bee ride. I thought Maya would be scared of it, but she totally loved it. Kris alwasy makes everything so fun!

Maya LOVED the petting zoo. She thought it was a blast to feed the sheep and the goats.

Trisha & Joee are HERE!
My good friend Trisha and her little girl Joee came in town on the 25. Maya and Joee haven 't seen each other in over 2 months. It has been SO FUN having them here. The girls have been getting along so good. They really missed each other. And we really missed Trisha too.

Maya and Joee showing of the stuff they got at play group at the Moore's house. Thanks Annette, they had so much fun!

We had a pumkin carving night with all our friends. This is the night before Julie was suppose to be induced to have her baby. Long story short, she ended up getting a call Wed. morning telling her they didn't have room for her, and she had to wait till Thursday to start her induction. WHY do they do that to pregnant women. Don't they know that KILLS us.
From left to right: Julius, Ty, Susie, Adria, Maya, Brian, Jake and Julie.

Maya + Joee = BFF's

Susie, Jake, Trisha and her little guy (if you can call him that) Rushton

Julie was suppose to been induced on Wed. morning but about 30 min before she was suppose to go in they called her and told her they didn't have room for her. So she waited ALL DAY for there call, and it never came. We play volleyball on Wednesday nights, so I told her to get out of the house and come play with us. I knew everyone would be asking Julie questions about her baby so I made her this sign. It worked like a charm. She wore it all night so people wouldn't bug her with questions. We are happy to say that baby Lilly was born on Oct. 30th, weighing in at 8 lbs 3 oz

Trisha being silly with the volleyball under her shirt. This was her 3 months ago.

Just being silly

I had the three girls all day on Thursday. Julie was at the hospital having her baby so I had Mallory, and Trisha was packing and cleaning her house so I had Joee. These three have so much fun together. They are all only a couple months apart. It was a long, but fun day.

Happy Halloween

Halloween was so fun this year. Maya was so excited to wear her costume. It was so fun to have Joee here too. Trick-or-treating was a blast, although Jo Jo was a little scared

My little lady bug, baby Ella. Isn't she cute!

Maya was Tinkerbell

Baby Rusthon was a Baseball Player

Joee was Arora from Sleeping Beauty. She had such a beautiful dress on. She loves to twirl in her pretty dress.

Maya and Joee. They are getting so big. I can't believe how big they look in this picture

My mom and Dad came in town right before we headed out to go trick or treating. My mom dressed up in her witch costume. She looked so scarey, but it didn't phase Maya. It sure freaked Joee out though. She was so scared she wouldn't come out of the bathroom. It was really sad.

The Fam

Trisha and Baby Rusthon.
We went to my sisters Halloween party after we went Trick or Treating. It was so fun, with tons of yummy food. Thanks Collette!

Joee and Baby Rushton. He is not so happy in this pic

Trisha's little family. We missed having Josh here, but hopefully he will get to come next time. Thanks Josh for letting us have your family for two weeks.

What a pretty girl

Saturday Morning Mess

Saturday morning I was letting Ella crawl around on the floor of my room while I layed in my bed. I had been up really late helping Trisha move so I was super tired. All of the sudden I realized it was way to quite. So I went searching for my little peanut. And this is what I found.

She thought she was so funny

If you notice the MAJOR green boogers on her nose you will understand why she was trying to get a tissue. What a smart little girl!!

TRISHA'S COMING!!

2008-10-22T14:40:00.001-07:00

One of my best friends is coming to visit. Trisha moved about 2 months ago back to Washington. The move was so sudden and very hard to handle. Our little group of friends (Susie, Julie, Trisha and Me) went into mourning when she moved, but she is coming back on Saturday for 2 weeks. YEAH!! Trisha's little girl Joee is Maya's best friend and I can't wait for them to see each other. She will be here for Halloween and for the birth of Julie's baby Lilly. Can't wait to see you Trisha, Joee and baby Rushton!!!

Julie and Susie

The gang (Kris & Tiersa, Julie & Cory, Susie & Brian, Trisha & Josh)

Julie looking like Twitch from SYTYCD (4 real)

Trisha

Julie, Trisha, Susie & Tiersa

The night Trisha left. We were all REALLY sad!!

Potty Training

2008-10-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Maya is wearing big girl panties!!!

I can't believe how big my little girl is. We are on day three of potty training,

and it is going suprisingly well. She has got the peeing thing down,

and has had no accidents so far. However she has had two "number two" accidents so far.

It's actually really funny cause she gets totally grossed out now when she has accidents.

I was so STRESSED about potty training her cause I just didn't think I would have the patients to deal with accidents, but it hasn't been to bad so far.

I could use some tips on how to get her to poop on the potty though, so if you have any advice PLEASE feel free to share!

St. George Marathon

2008-10-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Marathon is OVER!!

I can't believe it. It was so hard training through the Arizona heat, so I should be glad it is over, but I am actually a little bit sad. I mean this training has consumed me for the last 4 months, and now I'm not quite sure what to do.

It was an AMAZING day and I loved every minute of it.

Okay maybe not EVERY minute, but it was worth the pain

Here are the details;

Woke up at 4 am Saturday monrning and got to the buses at 5:15 only to realize I had left my number at my moms house. This would not be a big deal except that they won't let you on the bus unless you have your number. Kris had to run my number down to me and we barely made the last bus at 5:30
Because we got up there late I wasn't able to meet up with my training partner Tricia, and I lost my mom and Carolyn so I was going to have to run it alone.
Oh did I mention it rained on us the ENTIRE way. The wind and rain never let up, and it was pretty cold at the top. But I actually enjoyed the weather. Because I was so use to running in the heat, the colder weather helped my heart rate stay low and I was able to run FASTER than I planned.
I wore a trash bag for the first 6 miles but finally ditched it cause I felt like it was slowing me down. But by the end of the race our shoes were sloshing with every step and we were drenched from head to toe.
At mile 8 I ran RIGHT PAST Tricia! Needless to say I was SO SO excited. We ran the rest of the race together and it was AWESOME!! I am so glad I was able to run with her cause she was so positive and excited the whole time. It really pushed me to do good. THANKS TRICIA!!
The last 6 miles were torture but somehow we kicked it up a notch and ran our last few miles strong.
My goal was to run it in 4:45 but I was actually able to run a 4:21 which was faster than my last time by 16 min. I was SUPER PUMPED! The only thing that sucked was my ENTIRE family missed me crossing the finish line cause they didn't expect me for several minutes later. What a BUMMER!
It was so great to see my girls with their GO MOM tatoos on there cheeks and my wonderful husband after the race.
My mother in law was able to finish in 4:58 which was right where she wanted to be. GREAT JOB CAROLYN!!

I had to go up and down the stairs at my moms house backwards for the next couple of days cause I was so soar, but I feel almost back to normal now, and I can't WAIT to do it again next year.

Carolyn, my mom Arlene, and me

Showing off our injuries

San Francisco

2008-09-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Kris and I went to San Francisco on Thursday for a 2 night get away.
This was our first time leaving our girls so I was a little nervouse.
But Kris's mom Carolyn came over and watched the girls and I was confident she woudl have fun with them and they would love having her. Thanks Carolyn for helping out!
I have to apologize for not having very many good pics. I lost my memory stick for my camera, so we went and bought a new one Friday morning, but then my battery was dead so we only got a few pictures. Kris and I had so much fun! It was a much needed get away.
We spent all day friday in San Francisco. We did the Alcatraz tour, then walked down Fishermans Wharf and ate some yummy food.
Our trip wouldn't be complete without a hot fudge sunday from Ghirardelli Square. After we got our fill on the Wharf we drove down to Union Square for some shopping.
The shopping was FABULOUSE!! We had a great time, and saw some funky things too.
You can't go to San Fran without coming back with a few funny stories.
Kris got to see 2 guys making out. And we both saw this lady lay down in the street and stick her tongue to the ground and proceed to lick the asphalt for about 30 seconds. Apperantly there was some food on the ground and she was hungry. Then she took a drink out of the gutter. It was CRAZY!! We got back Saturday afternoon, and although it was SO fun, I was definitely excited to see my girls!

Alcatraz

Trapped in one of the prison cells

Kris in a cell

Delinquent Blogger

2008-09-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for being such a bad blogger lately. Have you ever felt so behind that it takes you even longer to catch up because you keep putting it off thiking that you will sit down and play catch up. This is the reason I haven't written in my journal since July, and the same reason why I haven't blogged for two months.

So to keep this from being a long boring blog, I am going to fill you in whith whats been hapening in the LeSueur family by using bullits.

Ella has two teeth and is Crawling!! I can't believe it. She started crawling about a week before she turned 6 months and now she gets all over the house. This is a good thing and a bad thing cause I have to always be on the lookout for things on the floor she can choke on. She is so different than Maya. Maya didn't get her first tooth till she was 11 months old and she didn't crawl till she was 10 months old. Watch the video below, it is just too cute!!

Kris's toe is doing MUCH better. He was on Crutches for about 6 weeks (originally it was suppose to be 3 weeks), and he has been in his walking boot for about 2-3 weeks.
It has been 8 1/2 weeks since the accident. He is slowly starting to exercise again but he is finding it hard to get up in the early morning to work out.
Maya is doing great! She is such a big helper. She loves to help me make dinner and feed Ella, along with everything else. She loves her baby sister and LOVES to make her laugh, which she is very good at. Her best little friend Joee moved away almost a month ago so she has really been missing her, but she is keeping busy with our ward play group twice a week. She still askes for Jo Jo almost every day and prayers for her in her prayers every night. Jo Jo we miss you and can't wait to see you again!

As for me, I have been busy being a mom, a wife, a friend, a volleyball player, a runner, and a twilight junky. I decided I would re-read all the books in the Twilight series before I read the last one Breaking Dawn. It has taken me about a month and a half but I have finally started Breaking Dawn and I am about 100 pg into it. I have also been really busy training for the St. George Marathon that is coming up in only 2 1/2 weeks (EEKS!!) I am really excited to do it again. I have done it twice before but it has been 3 years and 2 kids since I have done it. I have been training with my Mother in law who is doing it for the first time. We ran 20 last Friday and suprisingly I felt pretty good afterwards. It has been hard training while having little ones at home. The 4 am morning have been getting to me a little bit, but it has been nice to have Kris here to watch the kids so I can train. Thanks Kris for all the support. LOVE YA TONS!

Well that about sums it up. It ended up being a longer blog than I planned, but now I shouldn't have to blog again till the Marathon. Thanks for checking in on our little family!

Memory Bandwagon

2008-07-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

I am jumping on the memory bandwagon post. I think it is fun to reminisce!
1. Leave a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.EVERYBODY PLAY! I want to see what memories are out there!!

Cannon Beach Trip

2008-07-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Every year Kris and I take a break from this summer heat and head to the coast where it is nice and cool. Our favorite spot is Cannon Beach Oregon. This year we went with Kris's whole family. All the girls (Carolyn, Kelsey, Marianne and Myself) along with JT, Kris's little brother, got to spend the whole week there. Then the guys met up with us on Thursday. It was so nice. We spent the week, eating, walking and running on the beach, eating, boogie boarding, relaxing and, oh yeah EATING!! We had such a blast. But coming back to this summer heat was harder than I thought it would be. We love Arizona, but it is so nice to spend a week in the 70 degree weather during the hottest part of the year. Make sure you check out the slide show on the link below. I couldn't get the slideshow to work, so just click on View all Images and it should take you to the pics.

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Kris's second injury of the year

2008-07-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

This all started with a simple swim party at my parents house. Saturday night we were at my parents house having a swim party to celebrate Travis's baptism. It was about 9:30 at night and everyone was done swimming except for some of the crazy boys, Kris being one of them.

I am up stairs feeding Ella when all of the sudden I hear, "Tiersa get down stairs, Kris cut his toe." So I rush downstairs and Kris's toe is gushing blood everywhere. St. George doesn't really have any Urgent Cares, so we were off the the Hospital. Kris wasn't sure if he broke his toe, and the cut was definitely big enough to need stitches so we reluctantly went to the ER.

When we got in to see the Doctor, he asked Kris to bend his toe, and he couldn't. So the Dr. said that he had cut his flexor tendon in his foot and that he was going to have to see a specialist. So he quickly stitched up the cut and a few days later we drove
home and met with an orthopedic surgeon.

So after meeting with the specialist it was determined that Kris had to get surgery. It was set up for Wed. night. We had no idea what we were getting into. Kris honestly thought that he would be at work the next morning. The surgery took about an hour, but it was clear when he woke up that he was not going to be going to back to work anytime soon. Thursday was a pretty rough day for Kris. He was in alot of pain. Today has been better, but he is as high as a kite with all the pain meds he is on. He slept like 18 hours yesterday, and he has slept alot today too. The Dr. said that he has to be on crutches for atleast 3 weeks, and then have a walking boot on for atleast 3 more weeks. The bummer thing about all of this is that he was suppose to do Arizona Ironman in November, and now he is not going to be able to train for it. Hopefully he will heal soon.

Kris right before his surgery

Kris in his cute periwinkle gown

Maya and Markers don't Mix

2008-07-24T08:35:00.001-07:00

Sunday we were in St. George and I was getting ready for church. I was running late and my mom was playing with Maya so I jumped in the shower really quick.
Well when I came out, this is what I found.

I was in total shock. All I could do was stair and say "Oh My GOSH"
My neice Kelsey had left her markers out and Maya had found them.
She colored ALL OVER herself, but managed to not get it on her jammies
Needless to say, I was horrified.I was already running late,

we had about 30 minutes before church started

and I had to deal with this. The markers weren't washable, but with a little scrubbing, I was able to get most of it off with just a few pink spots left behind. It wouldn't have been such a big deal, but she had it on her face too. I love this little girl, and if I don't laugh at the situation, I would cry. It was so funny, cause when I saw her she was actually sad and about to cry. It was like she new she had done something wrong and she didn't know how to cover it up so mommy wouldn't see. HA HA!!

Our St. George Trip

2008-07-24T08:26:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went to St. George for a very special occasion.
My twin brother Travis got rebaptised on Saturday. I am so proud of him
It has been a long hard road, one that his taken him 7 years.
But he is a different person now, and we are all so happy for him
Saturday morning we went to this place called Jumping Jacks in St. George.
It was this huge warehouse full of blow up toys. Maya was in heaven. Actually we all were. We totally had a blast. It was a quick trip, but it was really fun.

Maya with her two cousins Jaycee and Ashlyn

Maya went down this HUGE slide all by herself. It went all
the way to the ceiling.

Then we went down as a family. Kris and I got burns on our arms
from putting them out to catch us

My brother Collins and my nephew Anthony

It was my brother Travis's little girls birthday on Saturday so
how better to celebrate it than with an oversized Costco cake.

Ella's First taste of Food

2008-07-24T08:23:00.001-07:00

My baby girl is getting so big. She is five months old now
so I decided it was time for baby food. I wasn't sure if she was ready,
but as soon as I put the spoon in her mouth, she couldn't get enough.
It was the cutest thing. I would bring the spoon towards her mouth and she would reach out and grab it and pull it closer. It was so funny. She is so much fun
and she is such a good baby. I am so blessed to have 2 beautiful healthy girls.

Update on Ella

2008-07-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I have had many people ask me how Ella is doing. Well I am happy to say that she is doing much better. We took her to se her pediatrician on Monday

and her temperature was back to normal. I was pretty schocked when I learned that her doctor did not know she had been in the hospital. So her doctor said she would call the hospital and get the paper work on her and call me if anything was unusual.

When we went to the hospital the doctors could not find anything wrong with her. I had a gut feeling that Ella had a urinary track infection (UTI) but the doctros at the hospital told me she didn't. So when I got the call from her pediatrician on Wed. telling me that she DID infact have a UTI, I was both relieved and upset that the docs at the hospital missed that. So now Ella is on antibiotics for 10 days. Then she has to get another urinalysis done which means another cathider (BOO HOO), and she has to have a renal ultrasound done on her kidneys to make sure her kidneys weren't damaged. I am glad that she is feeling better and I am so greatful that we live with in 10 minutes of 4 different hospitals, but at the same time, I am sad for her cause I know that it is not over.

St. George Trip

2008-06-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

Last week my girlfriends and I took a trip to St. George to stay at my parents house.

About six months ago my friends Julie and Trisha, and I went to my parents for a few days and we had a blast. So we thought we would get one more quick trip in

before Trisha has her baby in 3 weeks. We brought along our

friend Susie this time and her two boys.

Our trip was full of swimming, shopping, late nights playing canasta, laughing and talking. We had a few heart to hearts, and over all I think we all left better friends than

we were when we got there.
I just want to tell my friends how much I LOVE them! They are the greatest.

We have so much fun together, and they are such a support to me.

I love you girls and I hope we will always stay close.

Julie and I

Julie and her little girl Mallory. She is having another little girl in November

Can't wait to meet baby Lilly!

Susie and her sons Jake and Tyler

Grandpa with Maya, Tyler, Joee, and Mallory. It was funny to hear

all the kids call my dad Grandpa. He was grandpa to everyone and they all loved him.

Me and my sweet little Maya

"The Girls" - Julie Trisha Susie and I

Me and my girls, even though Ella looks like a boy in this picture

Trisha and her little girl Joee. She is having a little boy (Rushton?)

in 3 weeks. She is a trooper for coming!

This is the whole clan. Jake is taking the picture so he is not in it.

Baby Ella

My girls and I

Ella and Mommy

Maya and her grandpa. She loves him so much!

Baby Ella showing Grandpa how he can roll over

Maya, Joee, Jake, Tyler, and Mallory

Trisha, Joee and baby Maya

Julie and Mallory

Ella's Hospital Visit

2008-06-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last night was one of the worst nights of my life. Kris and I had to take Ella to the ER because she had a 104 temperature and was quivering and crying like she was in pain. So we took her to the ER and they had to put a catheter in her to get a urine sample. That was HORRIBLE!! I had to hold her down while the poked and proded in her girl members. I was in tears. Then they did a chest exray and an IV to take her blood and give her fluids. As a mother that was the hardest thing to watch. She was screaming so loud and all I wanted to do was take her pain away and make her better. Even though she was in pain she was still smiling. She is such a sweet little girl. She still has a high temperature but hopefully will be feeling better soon. Here is a picture of her in the hospital. Her arm is all wrapped up like that because that is the arm that the IV is in . They wrap it like that so she can't accidently pull it out.

Happy Fathers Day

2008-06-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today is Fathers Day. I love this day because it gives me a chance to spoil my husband for a change, and an opportunity to tell my Dad what a great dad he is. Today we are in Durango Colorado. Kris had a race yesterday so we got to spend the weekend down here. It has been a very relaxing day. It is so beautiful here. It has been great just being able to spend time as a family without any interruptions. I just want to take a minute to publicly tell Kris and my dad the things I love about them.

KRIS

You make a wonderful father. You are so good with Maya. I love how silly you are with her. You make anything you do fun, just by being goofy. Maya loves you so much!
You are so sweet with Ella. Every time I see you holding her, I can see how much love you have for her. I love it when you talk to her and make her smile. It is so cute.
You are such a good provider for us. I never worry about finances, and even though it is hard to go to work in the heat every day, I know you do it because you love your family.
You are such an amazing husband. You always put me first no matter what. You treat me like I am your number one priority. I love that about you.
You have such a strong testimony of the gospel. You try to do your best in your calling and with your home teaching. You set a great example for me.
I love how you do your best at anything you do. You never do anything half way, it's either all the way, or no way.

Kris I love you so much. Thank you for being the man of my dreams. You are the greatest husband and father.

DAD

Number one, I am so impressed at your ability to have unconditional love for your children, and there spouses. You always let me know how much you love me, and that you are proud of the person I have become. You also continue to let Kris know how impressed you are with him as a person too. Thank you so much for setting this example for me, and teaching me to love unconditionally.
You have such a love for our Savior. Over the last few years I have been more aware of your testimony of the gospel and it is so evident in your every day life. Your service in the church and to other members, and non members is so amazing. I love how you are always willing to share your testimony with anyone who will listen. And you are so in tune with the spirit and not afraid to share the gospel with others. What a great quality to have
You are such a hard worker too. You taught me at an early age the importance of being a good work, and taking pride in your work.
You are such a great grandpa to your grandkids. My girls love you. Maya loves giving you kisses, and you always know how to make her laugh. She loves her Grandpa, and as Ella gets older, she will love being with you too.
I love the example you set for me of your love for mom. There has never been a doubt in my mind how much you love our mother. You are never afraid to show affection around us kids, and I remember growing up, you would always tell us how much you loved mom. You always made it a priority to take mom on dates as often as possible. You have taught me so much about how to have a successful marriage.

Dad thank you for being the greatest dad I could ask for. You are amazing. I could not ask for a better father. I love you!!

Maya's birthday

2008-06-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Maya turned 2 on June 1st. I know I am a little late posting. I can't believe my little girl is two. She is so sweet. When we ask her how old she is, she holds up one finger on each hand and says TWO!! It's so cute. We were in Show Low for her birthday cause Kris had a race. It was really fun to celebrate her birthday with just our little family. During her nap I decorated the cabin we were staying at, and made her a cake. When she woke up there were balloons and streameres everywhere. She was SO excited! We had her open her presents and then took her to dinner. She loves her new "pac pac" (Dora Back Pack), and her "boo" (her care bare). We got her a little dress up skirt and she wouldn't take it off all night. But her FAVORITE gift was Finding Nemo. She wanted to watch it right away. So after dinner we popped some pop corn, turned on the fire place, and watch Finding Nemo. It was such a fun night.

On Friday we had a little BBQ and swim party for Maya. Here are a few pics from it.

Maya and BFF Joee

Maya I love you so much!! From the day you were born you have been the center of my life! You make me laugh at all the little things you do. My favorite things about you right now are....

When I ask you how old you are you say"TWO", with one finger on each hand held up.
When I tell you I love you, you say "No, I love you," and you pat my nose.
You love to help mommy unload the dish washer,
and you are getting so good at picking up your toys.
You love how happy you are in the morning
I love how you lay in bed at night and talk to yourself
for hours sometimes before you go to bed.

Maya I love you so much, and I am so glad I get to be your mommy. Thanks for choosing me!

I love what a good big sister you are to baby Ella. You guys are going to be such good friends.

Birthday Dinner

2008-05-21T13:17:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to dinner at The Keg for our friends Cory and Josh's birthday.

We had a really good time, and even had a chance to help an elderly couple who needed medical attention. The story behind that.................

We were all sitting at our table and we had just ordered when Susie noticed this elderly man standing above his wife holding her head and patting her face. So Kris, Brian and I went over there. The lady was passed out cold, but she was breathing. Infact she was snoring.

We tried to wake her up, but she wouldn't wake up. We kept calling her name and patting her face. Kris called 911, and about 3 or 4 minutes later she finally woke up.

When she woke up we asked her if she could tell us her name, and where she was. She was able to do so, but she said she felt really sick and she was really hot and sweaty.

The paramedics got there and took over, and I think she is okay now, but it was a really wierd experience. Overall we had a great time that night, and the food was AMAZING!!

Cory and Julie, holding baby Ella

Josh and Trisha

Kris and Tiersa

Susie and Brian

Ella's Ears

2008-05-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to the mall to pierce Ella's ears.
Maya was only seven weeks when we pierced hers and Ella at 12 weeks, was well over due. Although for some reason I wasn't overly eager to pierce Ella's ears like I was Maya's.
Probably cause I have been through it once before, and I felt
bad making Ella go through it.
But it's just so cute that I couldn't resist.
So I brought along my friends Susie, Julie and Trisha for moral support.
They were all great. Julie took some great pictures. Trisha's little girl Joee, was so concerned when Ella started crying. And after it was all over she looked at her mom and said
"Mommy, I don't want to get my ears pierced." Smart girl, I thought that was so funny.
Ella did pretty good, however she did cry longer than Maya did.
I was pretty sad to see my little baby girl cry, but now that it is all done and over with I am glad I did it. So hope you all enjoy the pictures.

This is before we pierce her ears. She has no idea whats coming.

The girl is marking her ears

This is the second ear. She is NOT happy.

Sad Mommy and baby

Check out Maya in the background. She is very concerned.

Big Alligator tears.

1st Triathlon

2008-05-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today I competed in my very first triathlon.
I did the Tempe International Sprint distant triathlon which consisted of a
400 meter swim
12.2 mile bike
and
3.1 mile run
Everything went really well as far as racing goes. I finished my swim in just over 8 min,
my bike took me 44 minutes, and my run took me 26 min,
with an overall time of 1:24.
I felt good about my time, and even though it was a hot day, i didn't feel to drained.
But that all changed!!!!
About a half hour after I finished the race, I went to get my bike
and my other stuff in the transition area. I started getting a headache as I was packing up my stuff. Within about 5 minutes I had the most severe headache, and I felt really nauseous.
I found a shady place to sit and put my head between my knees, but every movement made me want to vomit. I didn't think I had the energy to make it to the car without throwing up, so Kris through my towel down on the ground and I layed in the shade hoping that would help.
Eventually we had the paramedics come over and check me out, cause no mater what I did, I could not shake the nauseous feeling I had. Not to mention I had the most intense headache. After about an hour of laying in the shade I finally felt good enough to walk to the car.
With Kris's help I got to the car where it was cool and started feeling better.
After talking to a few people I realized that I was probably low on electrolytes. I drank a lot of Gatorade and water on the bike, but didn't drink any on the run, or after the race. So I think my water to electrolyte balance was off.
I am feeling much better now, and hopefully I have learned from this experience, as I have another race on June 7th. Wish me luck!

Ella's Blessing Day

2008-05-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a special day. Not only was it Mother's Day, but

we got to bless our beautiful baby girl too.

Ella was given a name and a blessing and it was such a special

experience for me. Kris did a great job on her blessing

We had a lot of friends and family come and support us.

Thanks to everyone. It was such a special day.

We are so blessed to have two beautiful, healthy daughters.

What a special Mothers Day!!

Ella's Cousins Ashlyn and Kelsey

I got to be with my mom on Mother's Day for the first time in years.

We treated ourselves to a pedicure for Mother's Day.

My little boy

2008-05-03T17:07:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I am training to do my first triathlon in 3 weeks.

So this morning I had to do a long ride, and our group was meeting in Fountain Hills.

So we got up early and drove out there. Our friends Nick and Rachel live out there, and Nick offered to watch my girls along with his two boys so we could go ride.

Nick and Rachel have a 3 year old little boy, Sam, who Maya just loves.

Well of course this house is full of boy toys, that Maya just didn't know what to do with.

But she found this hat, and would not take it off. In fact she cried uncontrollably when we had to leave and she couldn't take the hat with her.

So although she looks like a little boy, I think I may have to invest in a hat for her.

I think she looks pretty cute.

Kayaking

2008-05-03T16:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Kris and I went Kayaking with our friends Nick and Rachel.

But of course he had to test them out in the pool before we risked our lives

in them on the river.

Maya thought it was pretty cool.

So I left my baby for the first time for 7 hours with Kris's sister Kelsey (thanks Kels),

and we drove out to Salt river for a day of fun.

We were out there for 5 hours and despite caking on the sun screen,

I still managed to get fried.

We had one scary moment of rapids, which I managed to go down backwards (oops), and Rachel fell in, but other than that, it was really fun, and relaxing.

We saw some cool birds, and even saw a HUGE Bald Eagles nest with about 4 bald eagles.

Kris and Nick thought it would be cool to go get some feathers, and the Eagles started getting very territorial the closer they got to the nest.

We had a really fun time though.

Something we will definitely do again, with a lot more sunscreen next time.

Kris's Crash

2008-05-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Last week Kris had an Exterra Race which is kind of like an off road triathlon.

It was at Saquaro lake.

It started off with a 1500 meter lake swim, followed by a 13 mile off road mountian bike,

and finishing with a 4.5 mile run

The swim went great and he was the front of the goup

but then desaster struck.

About 5 miles into the bike section, Kris got going to fast down hill

and hit some soft sand and crashed.

His front tire completely bent, and Kris went flying into some cactus.

He ended up splitting his chin open and had to get 7 stitches.

He was covered in road rash and cactus and was unable to finish the race.

But in spite of all this, he still had a smile on his face at the end of the day.

What a good sport.

Sisters

2008-05-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

My little sister Ashley came in town from Cedar City Utah a couple of weeks ago.

She brought her cute little baby, Kevin, and her husband Adam.

We are so glad she came, and we had a blast with her.

Love you sis!

Collette, Ashley, and me

Brother Adam, me and sister Ashley

Ashley's husband Adam, and baby Kevin

Me and my cute girls

Maya's Swim Lessons

2008-04-05T16:12:00.001-07:00

I thought i would post some pictures of Maya and her swim lessons.

We love her teacher "Teacher Kathy", but she is retiring at

the end of the summer and we are really sad. So if any one has any suggestions

on where we could go for swim lessons, let me know.

If you are wondering why Maya is wearing her clothes let me explain.

About every six months Teacher Kathy has the kids come swim

in there clothes to get them use to what it feels like with clothes on

in case they ever fall in. She is such a great teacher. Maya has learned so much!

Easter Bubbles

2008-04-05T16:05:00.001-07:00

For Easter we got Maya a bubble blower. It is the coolest thing. It blows like

hundreds of bubbles at a time, and her and her cousin Kate loved it!!

Happy Easter Maya!

My bald baby girl

2008-04-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day about how much
Ella has changed since she saw her 4 weeks ago.

I was telling her how she lost all her hair on top of her head and

now looks like a little old man. She wanted me to take a picture and

post it on my blog so she could see it. So here you go mom. She looks kind of funny

but she is still beautiful to me. We have to put a bow on her

wherever we go so it hides her bald head. HAHAHA!

California Trip

2008-04-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we took our first family trip with two kids. Luckily Kris's little sister Kelsey came with us to help me with the kids. (Thanks Kelsey) Last Thursday morning, Kelsey and I packed up the kids and headed to California. Kris was already there for work so Kelsey and I were on our own with the two munchkins.

(At the rest stop on our way to Cali)

All was going well until about 2 hours into the trip. Ella decided that she didn't like being in her carseat any more. And she let us all know. For about 3 to 4 hours Ella cried off and on. She would sleep for about a half hour, and then wake up and scream for 5 or 10 minutes. There was nothing I could do, so we just had to let her cry. Needless to say, we were both anxious to get out of the car when we finally arrived in Riverside. So we picked up Kris and headed to Oceanside. Kris had a half Ironman race in Oceanside on Saturday, so we were trying to make it to the expo before it closed so he could get registered and get his packet. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, but by the time we got to the hotel we wer all so exhausted all we wanted to do was sleep. And sleep we did. Ella was so exhausted from crying all day long, that she slept 7 1/2 hours straight that night. I was SO SO SO excited!

(At the Sweet Tomatoes Thursday night)

Friday was a fun, relaxing day. We slept in, exercised, and then took Maya to see her first movie in the theaters. We saw Horton Hears a Who. It was so cute. Maya did really good, until the last 20 minutes or so. She was ready to get down and play. That night we met up with Kris's coach and the rest of the group that is doing the race, and went to dinner at Olive Garden (YUM). Kris had decided to stay at his coach's hotel that night so that he didn't wake us up to early, so we said our goodbyes, and wished him luck. Saturday morning we got up early and headed down to the race. We spent the whole day down at the race, and had a great time, besides a little run in with one of the ironman volunteers (ask me about that later). Kris did really good on his race. He finished the 1.2 mile swim in 31 minutes, a 56 mile bike in 2:47, and a 13 mile run in 1:51, with an overall time of 5:17, which was a personal best for him. (So if you see him, be sure to congratulate him).

(Kris's Race. I love the bike picture. He looks like a pro.)

Again Saturday night we were so tired (and SUNBURNED), that all we wanted to do was sleep, so we all went to bed early.

(My girls! Please ignore Maya's bright red face.

I was a bad mother and forgot to put sunblock on her)

Sunday morning we got up and packed our bags. We spent the day at Sea World and had a WONDERFUL time. Maya was loving all the animals. We even got to go back stage and see the new Sea Otter pups. They were so cute!! We also got to see the Manattees (the Manattee exhibit was closed for repairs) and we got to feed them treats. It was so fun. Maya absolutely loved it. She would get down on her tummy, and put her hand in the water, and the 1500 pound manattee would come up and eat the treat right out of her hand. It was awesome!! She would just laugh, and laugh and then run to get another treat. I think that was my favorite part of the whole day. We stayed at Sea World till about 5:30, and then we still had to drive home. It was a long day, and we didn't get home till one in the morning, but it was definitely worth it. I LOVE family trips!!

Kris, Maya and I with the HUGE Clydesdale horse

Kris is laughing so hard in this picture, cause Maya was terrified of the sharks. She was screaming because Kris was standing by the BIG shark teeth. I know we are mean parents

but it was very funny.

We got to feed the Sea Lions. It was so fun, cause they would call out

to us for food. Maya loved it

Kris's sister Kelsey

Sleepy Ella

Sea Otter Pups, Ellie and Abbie

Manattee

Kelsey and Maya

LeSueur Family Pics

2008-03-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

Go to this link to see pics of our family taken by my amazing friend Aften Wright

http://picasaweb.google.com/KrisandTiersa/LeSueurFamilyPics08?authkey=NRobY4vG74E

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!

Maya had her first Easter Egg Hunt this morning at the park.

She cared more about the candy inside than finding the eggs.

So it took us a while to find the eggs, cause she

just wanted to open them up

as soon as we found them. It was really fun to

watch her get excited about it.

Ella's Baby Shower

2008-03-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

So we had a little baby shower to introduce Ella to some of my friends and family.

Trisha, Julie and Susie threw it for me and it was beautiful.

Thank you so much. I love you guys.

Ella was so cute and wide awake during most of the shower.

So everyone got to see her pretty eyes as they were holding her.

She is such a good baby. I love to see her eyes open.

To me she looks just like Kris when she is awake.

It is fun to see how much she changes everyday. Here are

a few pictures from the shower.

Big sister Maya, and baby Ella

My sister Collette and her little boy Anthony who is exactly one year older then Ella.

Collette was having a birthday party for Anthony while I was in labor

and had to leave the party right in the middle in order to run down to the

hospital to be with me. What a good sister!!

My friends from left to right: Adria, Suzie, Trisha and Julie

Collette, me and Mandi

Ella's First Bath

2008-03-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ella had her first bath the other day. This picture was taken right before the bath. Notice how happy she is. This is all about to change.

She was not liking her bath very much. But we got through it.

She was alot happier when we put the warm washcloth on her.

The whole time we are bathing her, Maya is standing by the tub acting very concerned

for her baby sister who is screaming at the top of her lungs.

The finished product. Needless to say Ella's bath wore her out, and she slept

for 3 hours straight afterwards.

Our New Beautiful Daughter

2008-02-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

ELLA LESUEUR

Born February 22, 2008
6:12 pm

7 lbs. 15 oz

20 inches

Maya loves her new baby sister!!

Friday is the day

2008-02-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are wondering if I have had my baby yet, here is a quick run down..............

I was due on Saturday Feb. 16th

Saturday came and went, and no baby

Today is Tuesday and........... no baby

I had a doctors appointment today and with a few convincing

tears was able to get on the induction list for Friday the 22nd, which

is this coming Friday.

I am very anxious to not be pregnant any more,

but more than anything, I just want to meet my little girl

So, next time I blog, I will be introducing you to your new little girl!!

YEAH, the time is finally here!!

Our Little Maya

2008-02-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

I just thought I would post a few pics of our little girl before her world as she knows it changes forever when baby number two comes. Hopefully the next post will be introducing you to our NEW baby girl.

She is such a happy girl. I know she is going to be such a big helper with the new baby!

The story behind this picture: Maya LOVES shoes. She always has to have shoes on. The second she wakes up from her nap she says "I want shoes." So one night I had her all ready for bed in her feeted pj's and her she comes with her black church shoes (these are her favorite). She starts pulling at her jammies and telling me she wants them off, so she can put her shoes on. So I take her jammies off, and put her shoes on. About ten minutes later she finds a bib on the floor and wants that on too. So this was the result of that. It made me laugh so hard!! One day she will love this picture!

This picture was taken at London's Run, a half marathon that several of my friends and family members participated in a few weeks ago.

Maya got this little pony from her Nanna for Christmas and she absolutely loves it!

I know it's a little early, but we found these little bunny ears at the store, and I just had to get them for her. She walks all over the house with them on. Infact she even wore them for an hour while we went on a walk outside today. She makes me laugh.

And last but not least, swinging on the swings with daddy. We took her to that new park on Mqueen and Germann. She loves the swings!!

We love this little girl so much. It is hard to imagine having the same love we have for Maya, for another child. It will be exciting to see how our lives change!

Maya's New Room Phase 2

2008-01-28T21:38:00.001-08:00

Maya's new room has furniture!! I got her furniture from Potato Barn last week.
If you can't tell in the picture the walls are soft pink and the bed is an antique white.
Once everything was in, I felt like the room was really washed out and needed some color.
So I ran to target and found these fun drapes and just happened
to have a matching picture frame with a picture of Maya in it already.
Maya is very excited about her new room, although she hasn't slept in it yet.
I am waiting for the rails I ordered from Babies R Us to get here so she can officially call this her new room. I catch her playing in her new room all the time.
She loves to lay on her bed and show it off to anyone who comes over.
Hopefully she still feels that way when she is actually sleeping in it.
I still have a few things I want to get for the room. I am going to get a crystal chandelier over her bean bag chair, and a fun lamp for the dresser.
And I am still deciding on crystal knobs for the dresser. I can't decide whether I should
go with pink or clear crystal. Let me know if you have any other suggestions for her room.

Please ignore the crazy bed head hair. It was Sunday what can I say!!

Which knobs should I go with. Pink crystal or clear crystal?

Maya's New room Phase 1

2008-01-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

With the baby less than 4 weeks away, I decided it was time to get cracking on Maya's new room. I am moving her into the office, the office into our room, and the baby into Maya's room. This has been a work in progress for the last few weeks, but it is finally coming together and hopefully I will be able to post a picture of the finished project by next week. Phase 1 was moving the computer desk into our room and painting Maya's room pink (this room was once dark blue so this is a big change). Kris's little sister Kelsey was a big help in this project. Saturday we got the primer up and yesterday I was able to get the final color up. A beautiful soft pink. I love the color! And Maya does to. I find her in there playing several times a day. It's so cute. Phase 2 is to buy the bed and the dresser. This will hopefully get done tomorrow. I want to try and move Maya into her "new room" by this weekend. So stay tune for updated pics of her room.

Less than 4 weeks!!!

2008-01-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

OK so i heard that your second pregnancy goes by faster than your first, but this one has literally flown by. I can't believe I am going to be a mother of two in less than 4 weeks. I have just recently started thinking about all that i have to do to get ready for this baby. Yeah I know, I procrastinated a bit, but if this pregnancy is like my last, I will have a couple extra weeks past my due date to get ready. (Maya was 10 days late) For the most part I feel like 2 babies is not a big deal. I should be able to handle a 20 month old and a new born right?? Okay so I am trying to stay optimistic. I am actually freaking out a little bit about how Maya will react to a new little one in the house. So this is where my trusty friends come in. I need any advice I can get. What is the best way to introduce Maya to the new baby? How is Maya going to react? How do I get her use to a NEW bed and NEW room without making her feel like she is giving everything up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Let me know what you all did with your little ones, and please reassure me that it is all going to be okay!! After all thats what friends are for right?

Swim Lessons

2008-01-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

Maya has been taking swim lessons for almost a year now. Teacher Kathy is great and although it was rough at first, she has learned to love it. She can blow her bubbles in the water, and do back floats and monkey walks on the side of the pool. Plus the pool is heated to bath temp water so that helps. It is so cute to see her growing up and learning new things. Some of the other kids in the class still cry the whole time, but not my little Maya. She LOVES it.

New Years

2008-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

New Years was such a blast!! We went up to our friends Cory and Julie's cabin in Pine Top on Saturday afternoon. When we got there we had a problem figuring out how to turn the water on, but our nice neighbors helped us out, and after about an hour and a half, we finally got it on. Sunday was spent relaxing and Sunday night we had three more couples join us. Trisha and Josh, and there baby Joee, Adria and Julius, and Suzie and Brian and there kids Jake and Tyler. The whole weekend was full of playing games, talking, and staying up late. On Monday the guys went Snowboarding at Sunrise and had a blast!! We were very happy to have them all back in one piece with no serious injuries. While the guys were snowboarding, we took the kids sledding behind the house. It was so much fun, and a beautiful day. Monday night, of course we made way to much food, and ate more than enough. We played games till 2 in the morning and enjoyed every minute of it. Tuesday we packed up and drove home. It was such a GREAT weekend with GREAT friends. Thanks Cory and Julie for the invite!! and HAPPY 2008!!

My silly husband playing with Maya in the tunnel. The things he thinks of.

Kris and Cory got stuck in the snow. I thought it was funny they had to shovel themselves out.

Playing in the snow with the sled. This was cold, but fun!

All the guys crashed out after getting home from snowboarding. They needed a little power nap if they were going to stay up till midnight.

Kris and his pretend drunk face. Thanks suzie for the hats and decorations!

The girls from left to right: Suzie, Adria, Trisha, me and Julie

The guys from left to right: Kris, Cory, Josh, Julius, Brian and son Jake

Of course daddy had to take Maya out in the snow one last time before we left. What a good daddy.

Christmas

2008-01-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

So I know I am a little behind with this blogging thing, but we have been out of town so much lately I feel I have a good excuse. Christmas was great! We wend to St. George to spend it with the family. Christmas Eve we did our traditional hay ride Christmas Caroling which Maya LOVED!! It was an unusually warm night so it wasn't to bad. My whole family met up with about 4 other families and sat on a 20 ft trailer filled with hay as my dad pulled us around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols.

Then it was back to my parents house for hot chocolate, grilled cheese and tomato soup, our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. The rest of the night was spent playing games and doing some last minute wrapping. Christmas morning we all slept in and didn't even start opening presents till 10 am. It was my kind of Christmas. It was so fun watching Maya open her gifts, and everyone else's. She didn't care so much as to what was inside, but she loved ripping the paper off. It was so cute. Overall it was a great trip, definitely one to remember!

Bedtime with Daddy

2007-12-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

This is the result of Daddy getting Maya ready for bed.

I was tired and had to clean the kitchen up from dinner so I asked Kris if he would

get Maya ready for bed.

While I was cleaning the kitchen I could here them in her room giggling and messing around. About twenty minutes later, after I had cleaned the whole kitchen,

Maya and Kris came walking in like this. I had to laugh and grab my camera. I love how he plays with Maya.

She loves her Daddy and loves spending time with him. I always find myself rushing through the day to day things such as changing her diaper, and getting her dressed, but not Kris.

He can make a game of anything. That's what Daddy's are for, right?

POLAR EXPRESS

2007-12-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

So we had the chance to go to the Polar Express this weekend with my sister Collette and her family.
It was so much fun! Maya loved every minute of it.
She had a permanent grin on her face from the minute we got there.
We drove to Williams Arizona and met up with Collette and her family right before we boarded the train
Maya got in her Christmas jamies given to her by Aunt Coco (Collette).
It was freezing cold while we were there so we had to bundle up as best we could.
We got on the train and the "elf" helpers brought around hot chocolate and cookies for everyone. Of course Maya loved that.

She got to sit by her cousin Jaycee on the train,
and they were so cute together, laughing and singing Christmas songs.

When we got to the North Pole all the girls crammed together so they could look out the window. (from left to right: Ashlyn (6), Kelsey (4), Jaycee (3), Maya (18 mo.))
Maya just looked so big there with the other girls. It made me realize that she is growing up
and is no longer my little baby. She is such a big girl now.

Then Santa came on the train to give everyone Christmas bells. When it was Maya's turn to get a bell
she just stared at Santa not knowing what to think. I was so excited to see her first experience with Santa.
I think I was more excited than she was!

Maya loved shaking her bell she got from Santa. It was so cute!
Once we got off the train Kris taught her how to say
"choo choo" and pull her hand down like she is tugging on the whistle. So the rest of the night
she walked around saying "choo choo". It was so cute. Also when you ask her what Santa says she says
"Ho Ho Ho." I love this stage of her life.
The next day we were going to hang out for a few hours before driving home but the weather was so bad that none of us slept good that night and it was so miserable outside we just wanted to get home.
Over all it was such a GREAT experience. It will be so much fun when baby girl #2 is old enough
to bring them both back. Lets just say I LOVE being a mom and I am so excited to see how our lives will change with this next baby!

27 weeks!

2007-11-16T10:42:00.001-08:00

So here is a recent picture of my growing belly. I am 27 weeks pregnant and I am excited that I finally look pregnant and not just fat. Once again we are having another little girl in February. We are super excited, however I can already tell that she is a very active baby. It's so fun being pregnant especially when it goes as well as mine has so far. I am excited to see how Maya does with a little sister!

Phoenix ZOO

2007-11-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Maya and I went to the zoo with my sister Collette and her kids Kelsey, Jaycee and Anthony. This was Maya's first trip to the zoo so I was excited to see her reaction to the animals. Although she loved looking at the animals and touching the sting ray in the sting ray exhibit, I think she was more excited about the kettle corn and the play area. I think a few more months and she will be more excited. And although we spent part of the day dodging the rain, we did however get to see the baby orangutans and we got to feed the elephants which was really cool. Overall it was a great day!

All the kids loaded up in the hefty stroller.

Kelsey and Jaycee int the turtle shell

Girls Trip

2007-11-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

So last week I was able to go to St. George with some of my closest friends to see my family and my little sisters new baby. Julie, Trisha and I pulled our three girls, Mallory, Joee and Maya out of bed at 5 in the morning and loaded them up in a van for our 4 day trip. The drive went really good and even though the girls didn't sleep much, we were able to keep them entertained with movies and snacks. They did AWESOME!! We had so much fun while we were there. We took the kids to the many parks St. George has to offer. We had a girls night on Wed. night with all my sister in laws, my mom and my sister. It was so much fun. We stayed up till one or two in the morning talking, laughing and playing games. And amazingly we never got sick of each other!! HAHAHA! We have decided that this needs to be an annual thing. We will see how that goes the more kids we have. We took over 100 pictures on our trip, but here are a few of our favorites

Maya and Joee at five o clock in the morning. They loved sitting next to each other. They played and laughed the whole time!

K so I know this is a random picture, but I got a bloody nose just as we were picking up Julie to head out. It was the weirdest thing and it wouldn't stop for over 30 minutes. I just had to capture this moment!

Bath time for our three girls. It was such an adventure with these three all the time. We love them!!

The three mommies. From left to right Trisha, Julie and Tiersa

Fun at the park. The weather was so nice the whole week. We jumped at the opportunity to take the kids to the park as often as we could.

Ashley and her new little baby Kevin. He already weighs over 10 pounds and is only 4 weeks old. He does not look like a new born. Super cute though!!

One of the girls favorite things to do while we were at Grandmas was to play in the garage with this little car and push the strollers around that were in there. They would spend all day in there if we would have let them.

Halloween

2007-11-02T13:46:00.001-07:00

It's a new month, but we can't move on without going over how fun Halloween was this year. Maya was so cute in her little cheerleader costume, and of course Kris and I had to dress to match. We were the Spartan cheerleaders from SNL.

We had a blast with our friends Cory Julie and there baby Mallorie, and Trisha Josh and there baby Joee. The girls looked so cute! We loaded them up in a wagon and pulled them around from house to house so everyone could coo and awww at them.
After trick-or-treating we all headed back to our house for homemade chili and treats galore.
A few other friends met up with us including Adria and Julius, Carl and Heidi and Kelsey and her date. It was really a fun night! The girls loved getting candy, and the parents loved it too, cause it kept the kids quite. What a great first REAL Halloween with Maya!

The three girls
Bumble Bee = Joee
Cheerleader = Maya
Pumpkin = Mallorie

This one was actually taken a couple days before at Kris's half ironman race, but I just love this picture cause it shows how much she loves the pom poms that came with the costume.

Maya with her favorite cousins

Mommy and Maya. Cheerleaders together

Pre-Halloween

2007-10-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

We had our ward Trunk-or-treat the other night so I had to get some pictures of Maya. She was a ladybug for the trunk or treat but she is going to be a cheerleader for Halloween. She is at such a fun age because she is just starting to understand what everything is. She wasn't very happy when we put her costume on her, and she kept trying to pull it off, but as soon as we gave her her treat bag to carry around and her ladybug wand she was a happy camper. I love this little girl so much!! She is so fun!

We also got together with some friends and carved pumkins last night. They turned out really good. Kris was especially proud of his because he added his own little flare by making ears and adding pumkin insides to the mouth to make it look like throughup. He is so fun! Josh, Trisha, Julius, and Adria, thanks for carving pumkins

with us!

Maya's One Year Pictures

2007-09-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

My friend Aften took amazing pictures of Maya the other day. They turned out so cute. I love them, but I am having a hard time deciding which ones to blow up. So, I need your help. If you could let me know which ones you like the most, I would really appreciate it!

Our weekend in Utah

2007-09-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Maya and I went to Utah last weekend for a roommates reunion. We had so much fun and saw all my old friends and Maya got to see her Grandpa who she hadn't seen in 3 1/2 months. It took her about an hour to warm up to him, but she finally did. We had so much fun shopping and staying up late with the girls. It was a great trip over all!!

2007-09-20T14:02:00.001-07:00

Maya discovered the doggy kennel the other day. I couldn't find her for a while, but when I did I couldn't help but laugh. My nieces use to do this, and it is so cute to see her following in there footsteps.

Maya is finally walking

2007-08-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Maya has finally decided to walk. I say this because she has been able to walk for about two months now, but I guess it had to be on her own time. It makes life a lot easier for me since I don't have to carry her nearly as much. Specially with the new baby coming, my back just can't handle it.

It's A GIRL!!!!

2007-08-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that we are having another girl. Maya is going to have a little sister to play with. I was completely shocked when we found out cause I was convinced we were having a boy. But we couldn't be happier with another little girl!